The head of the Palestinian village council in the occupied West Bank’s village of Madra has said that the Israeli settlers who tried to burn down the local mosque on Friday were fully supported by the Israeli government, Al Jazeera reports citing the Associated Press.

Nasfat al-Khafash, the head of the council, said the settlers arrived early in the morning, setting the mosque on fire and spray-painted stars of David and the words in Hebrew, “the mosque will burn, the temple will be built” and “death to Arabs”.

“These slogans reflect their upbringing and hatred towards Palestinians and Arabs,” al-Khafash told the AP, adding that the settlers received “full support” from the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.